The objective in blackjack is to get a hand closer to 21 than the dealer - without going over 21. If you go over 21, you lose the hand and it is known to be thick or in English "bust". Blackjack is a game where your hands are only competing against the dealer's hand and it does not matter what the other players at the table was too short.

After you have been dealt your first two cards, you can choose to take another hit, stand, or in some cases double or split. If you choose to stay, you are content with the two cards you have been assigned and therefore hope that the hand you have is good enough to beat the dealer's hand.

The dealer must follow certain rules and must not take any decisions for them. This usually means that the dealer must hit if his hand is over 17 and he must stand on 17 or better. In most blackjack tables so it is also why "Dealer must stand on 17."

Card Values

* 2 to 9 have their face value.

* 10 and face cards (J, Q, K) has a value of 10.

* Aces are worth 1 or 11.

* The color of the card does not matter in blackjack

* A "Blackjack" consists of two cards where one is an ace and the second has a value of 10.

* A "Blackjack" beats all other hands except for another "Black Jack".

Blackjack Rules

Learning to play Blackjack is very simple and enables you to have both greater enjoyment of the game and better chances of winning. On this page we will briefly explain the game rules of blackjack at online casinos and land based casinos.

Card Values in Blackjack

The cards two to ten are worth their number. Face cards (King, Queen and Jack) are each worth ten points. An ace is worth eleven or a score. All players try to beat the dealer without obtaining a higher value than 21.

A blackjack game is started

A game of Blackjack begins by putting his bet in the center of the table in the selection of chips. It is common to use six different decks of 52 cards each from each game. You play against the "Bank", or against the casino (which is represented by a dealer). The purpose of the card game is to beat the dealer. The closer you get the value 21, better your chances. However, you may never get over the total 21 - then you will "bust" and lose your stakes.

The cards are dealt

The game starts with the dealer distributes two cards to each player (all players' cards are 'open', that is visible to all) and two to himself, one of which is visible or "open". In Sweden it is common for the dealer initially only takes one card to himself (and it appears when open).

Soft and hard hands

An ace is worth either 1 or 11. This means that it is often useful to be dealt an ace as the risk of going over 21 gets smaller. When you talk about a soft hand, is meant a hand where you can choose to use the ace as either a 1 or 11 a. A hand such as consists of an Ace and a 7 can either have a value of 8 or 18, depending on what the player chooses to ace should be worth. The choice is yours and you can change back and forth during the game.

A hard hand is one where you can not choose to use the ace as a 1 or 11 a. An example of such a place is when you have an ace, an 8 and a 6 the ace can only count as one first because your hand would go over 21 and make you "bust". If you count the ace as a 1, it is the hand's total value of the 15th.

Distribution of the cards

After all players have placed their bets on the table, the betting box in front of them, the dealer puts up the game by dealing two cards to each player. These cards are face up. Cards are always from left to right. The dealer also receives two cards but one of them is face down so that players can not see its value before then the dealer plays his hand.

Your choices

Once you have been assigned your first two cards, you must decide how you play your hand the best way possible. Taking a card (hit) is an option. You can also choose to stay (stand) and settle for the cards you have been assigned. If your two cards have the same value, you can choose to share (split) your hand into two separate hands. The fourth option is to double (double down) if you think your hand will beat the dealer's hand. You can read more about the various options.

Hit

If you choose to take short, you will receive an additional card to the dealer. If you play at a real land based casino, it signals that you want another card by tapping a finger on your existing card. You will then be assigned to another card.

Stop

If you do not want additional cards, choose to stay. By staying, you are content with the cards you have been assigned. These cards will then be the hand you are competing with the dealer.

Split

If you have been dealt two cards of equal value, you can choose to split the hand into two separate hands. This is done by placing an equal bet as the original bet next to your first bet. The dealer deals when your hand into two hands and you are dealt one more card on each of these hands. You play then hands under normal blackjack rules. You should always share such as two aces or two eights. For more information, to share, please see our strategy table blackjack.

Dual

If you believe you have a stronger hand than the dealer, you often have the opportunity to double your bet. This is simply to "double". If you choose this option, you will be assigned one and only one, card of the dealer. You can only double down after you have been assigned your first two cards and you can not double if you decided to take another card. If your first two cards such as is a 5 and a 6, which total to 11: a, and the dealer has a 6 then you have a good chance of winning and should therefore be doubled. For more information about when to "double", see our strategy table blackjack.

Insurance

If the dealer's face up card is an ace, you can insure yourself against the dealer has blackjack. The insurance is placed on the insurance line of the table and should be half the size of your original bet. Then the dealer will check if he has a 10 value card under his Ace. If the dealer has blackjack, your insurance is paid 2:1. You lose of course your original bet and go with other words still up if you choose to insure. If the dealer does not have blackjack, you lose your insurance and the game continues as usual. Adding an insurance policy is usually a bad bet that gives some advantage to the house.

Surrender

Only a few casinos offer the option to give up. Giving up gives you the opportunity to put down your hand, which then costs you half your bet? There are two variants of giving up - giving up early and giving up late. You can only give up if you have not chosen to take another card. These two versions differ in the way they work when the dealer shows an ace. If possible, give up early; you can put down your hand before the dealer checks his second card for blackjack. Since this variation gives a great advantage for the player, offering the very often. Instead, it is more common that the possibility of giving up late offered. The dealer then checks first if he has a blackjack before player gets the chance to give up their hand.